Returning - Chapter 120
Chapter 120: Entangled
The Xue family had few descendants, and the spacious old house was often empty.
Aside from a driver and two housekeepers, no one else was here to keep Old Master Xue company for long.
It happened to be Saturday, and early in the morning, Xue Zhan was called back by the Old Master and given a harsh scolding.
"Busy, busy, busy. Every single one of you is busy. Can't even spare the time to come back for a meal. Is anyone else in the company as busy as you two?"
Xue Zhan leaned lazily against the sofa. He had no energy, having slept poorly the night before. The Old Master often nagged about these things, and his ears had long grown calloused from hearing it. Now, he had absolutely no desire to respond.
Seeing his demeanor, the Old Master grew even angrier. "Where did you go gallivanting last night? I asked Gu Shuyang; you didn't need to work overtime at all. The elder one acts like this, how is the younger one supposed to learn properly? How long has it been since Xue Zi'ang last came to see me? I heard from Old Man Zhang that he's out drinking with those friends every day. Does he really think he has a vast fortune to squander and just sit idle?"
Xue Zhan glanced at him indifferently. "He's twenty-six, an adult. He doesn't need me to educate him. Whatever you have to say, tell him yourself."
"Isn't it because I can't even catch a glimpse of his shadow?" The Old Master was so angry he wanted to hit him with his cane, but on second thought, he sighed helplessly. "That child, Zi'ang, is pitiful. Your brother passed away early, and I'm at the age to be put in the ground soon. I can only count on you to take good care of him."
Xue Zhan was reluctant to discuss this topic, so he remained silent.
The Old Master continued, "What exactly is wrong with him? Just a breakup, and he becomes like this. I saw him the year he graduated college, and it wasn't this bad. Why does he become less able to withstand setbacks as he gets older? Does he really like that Zhao Yu so much?"
Hearing that name, Xue Zhan couldn't help but frown, still making no sound.
"That young lady seemed quite nice to me. Pretty, good tempered, looked well-behaved, suitable to be a good wife. Although her background is a bit lacking, since Zi'ang likes her, marrying her wouldn't be out of the question. Didn't I ask you to help him before? Either let him completely give up this idea, or help them get back together. Why is there still no result after all this time?"
Xue Zhan rubbed his brow and stood up to go upstairs. "I'm going to sleep for a while."
"Look at yourself, listless even on a weekend. You're not young anymore; stop living that nightlife like a youngster. You should take care of your health. Otherwise, you'll end up like your elder brother, so young and just..."
The Old Master was unwilling to continue this topic either, so he shifted his nagging to someone else. "Why has Liu Ling also been saying she's busy lately? Called her several times and she never comes back. Is she not taking this old man seriously anymore?"
Xue Zhan, already at the staircase, paused mid-step and suddenly turned back to look at him. "Dad, back then, you clearly knew my brother would lay hands on my sister-in-law. Why didn't you stop it?"
The Old Master was momentarily stunned by the question, pausing for a few seconds before saying, "I didn't stop it?"
Xue Zhan sneered. "Just a casual word or two and then let it go? Your son is a treasure, but someone else's daughter is nothing? Married into our Xue family, she deserved to be treated like that?"
The Old Master shot to his feet, his face full of fury. "What's wrong with you today?"
"What's gotten into you today? Why are you being so snide? If you're that worked up, go cool off somewhere else."
Xue Zhan turned around and continued walking up the stairs, step by step.
If Father had stopped everything in time, in his capacity as an elder, perhaps there would have been nothing for an eighteen-year-old junior like him to deal with back then. Even less likely would have been the series of events that followed, leaving him always carrying guilt towards the deceased and everlasting debt towards Xue Zi'ang.
Even more so, if Xue Zi'ang hadn't been provoked by insults using his prematurely deceased father, he wouldn't have been idle enough to check the club's surveillance footage, nor accidentally discovered that video, uncovering that woman's true face.
Reaching the second floor, he suddenly shook his head again, mocking his own absurd logic from just moments ago.
To deal with that kind of scheming con artist, relentlessly exposing her true face was the normal course of action. How could he have foolishly entertained the notion of just letting himself be deceived by her forever?
Tugging at his collar, Xue Zhan began unbuttoning his shirt, preparing to completely empty his mind and get a good sleep.
Reaching the third floor, looking at the empty corridor, the scene from four months ago involuntarily surfaced before his eyes.
That night, her face tear-stained, so pitiable it stirred the heart. It was the first time he had felt compassion for her.
He just never expected that everything was fake. He, who prided himself on being best at reading people, had still been fooled and led around by the nose.
Pushing open the door and sitting on the chair, looking at the overcast sky outside, he suddenly remembered those days in Wucheng.
The cemetery in the rain, her crying until her whole body was weak, her relying on cigarette after cigarette to ease the pain, her always wearing a smile at Godmother and Godfather's house, and even earlier, her crying until she fainted at the company...
Had all of that also been part of her calculations?
But the grave was real, the origin of the name Zhao Yu was real, everything at Godmother and Godfather's house was real, her pain, was also real.
What kind of person was she exactly? So heart-wrenching, yet so infuriating.
Raindrops hit the window, creating a pattering sound. Irritated, Xue Zhan closed the window and walked into the bathroom to shower.
Just as he took off his shirt, his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
Godmother.
He had saved this contact during that time in Wucheng. Since saving just "Uncle and Auntie" in his contacts would be hard to distinguish, he had gone along and saved this form of address.
The form of address he had followed Zhao Yu in using.
After hesitating for a moment, he still answered the phone. "Auntie."
"Xue Zhan, is Xi Xi with you?"
His eyelid twitched uncontrollably. Xue Zhan gripped the phone tighter and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I tried video-calling her last night, but no one answered. I thought she was busy working overtime or had gone to bed early, so I just left her a message. But she hasn't replied even today. I called again, and still no one answered the phone. I'm worried something might have happened to her."
Thinking of how they had parted yesterday, Xue Zhan zoned out for several seconds before smiling and comforting her, "Don't worry, she went out with friends last night and stayed out very late. Maybe she hasn't woken up yet. She'll reply when she wakes up. Rest assured, she's with reliable friends, nothing will happen."
After hanging up the phone, Xue Zhan stood there in a daze for a while before continuing to undo his pants.
A woman as calculating as her—her inner strength was far greater than ordinary people. What could possibly happen to her?
Warm water poured down from above his head. He reached out, using his palm to wipe away the moisture. Through the thin mist before his eyes, he seemed to see her again, in the bathroom of that hotel in Wucheng—sexy and alluring, yet also on the verge of collapse.
The water continued to patter down noisily. Listening to the faint sound of thunder from outside, Xue Zhan stood frozen for a long while.
Finally, he grabbed a towel, hastily dried himself off, put on his clothes, and went downstairs.
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